DALLAS _ It started off as a cakewalk at American Airlines Center Saturday, but it ended up as a tight-rope act.
The Wild scored three goals in their first three shots and soon led by four. The Stars scored the next four goals, tying the score 11:13 into the third.
But Jason Zucker's goal 62 seconds later was enough to give the Wild a 5-4 victory in a crazy game against the Dallas Stars.
And it sent the Wild to Chicago for Sunday night's game as the top team in the Western Conference. The Wild (27-9-5) have the same 57 points as Chicago, but the Wild have four games in hand.
A sometimes shaky Darcy Kuemper got the victory, stopping 34 of 38 shots. The Wild got goals from five players while improving to 4-1-1 on the front end of back-to-backs. The Wild now have points in 11 consecutive road games (9-0-2).
It took 4:01 for the Wild to chase Stars goalie Antti Niemi with a flurry of three goals on three official shots.
In order:
The first came at 1:19. The action really began when Jason Zucker hit Niemi in the head with a shot. Moments later the puck got on Koivu's stick, and his shot went off a Stars player and into the net. It was Koivu's 13th goal of the season. It was also his 10th goal and 22nd point in his last 22 games.
Less than 2 minutes later, Staal broke into the Stars zone on a two-on-one with Zach Parise. Staal, coming down the right side, looked off the defenseman and beat Niemi low on the glove side and it was 2-0 just 3 minutes into the game. It was Staal's 15th goal of the season.
But the goal that chased Niemi came courtesy of Dumba, who took a pass from Christian Folin and ripped a wicket wrist shot that beat Niemi high at 4:00.
Exit Niemi, enter Kari Lehtonen.
Less than 9 minutes later Chris Steward made it 4-0 with his eighth goal of the season. Jordan Schroeder came down the left side, and sent a backhand pass across the crease to Stewart, who tapped it in at 12:45.
Dallas finally got on the board with 6.5 seconds left in the period. Shortly after the Wild had killed off a Stars power play, Dallas broke out of its end with numbers. Ultimately Radek Faksa's backhand pass to Antoine Roussel resulted in Roussel's sixth goal. By the time the period ended the Wild had been outshot 12-11, but had out-scored the Stars 4-1.
But the Stars got another goal at 2:20 of the second, with the Wild's fourth line on the ice, when Devin Shore came across the blue line and sent a pass to Jiri Hudler on the left wing, who scored past a sprawling Kuemper.
Less than 4 minutes later Tyler Seguin buried the rebound of Jamie Benn's shot from the right circle at 6:06, prompting Wild coach Bruce Boudreau to use his time out.
With Kuemper clearly on his heels, the Wild rallied, getting several good chances over the rest of the period, which included two Wild power plays. But Lehtonen was unbeatable, with his best save coming during a Stars power play late in the period, when he stoned Zach Parise's short-handed attempt from the slot.
The Wild had an excellent chance midway through the third period, when consecutive Stars penalties gave the Wild an extended power play, including 41 seconds with a 5-on-3 advantage. But they couldn't get it past Lehtonen.
And it proved costly when, with Staal off for hooking, John Klingberg's wrist shot from the right point went off Ryan Suter and past Kuemper to tie the game at 11:13.
But, just 62 seconds later Zucker scored.
